Kevin O'Keeffe (Cork East, Fianna Fail)
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468. To ask the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport if his Department has compiled a report on making breathalyser devices available to motorists. [10855/18]

Shane Ross (Dublin Rathdown, Independent)
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The Deputy may be aware that I have held meetings beginning last September with a wide range of rural stakeholders to examine the problems of rural social isolation and how they may be addressed.  At the first such meeting, while it was not agreed that the Department would make such devices available to the public, the suggestion of people testing themselves for alcohol, particularly in the context of the morning after having consumed alcohol the previous night was raised and discussed in some detail. 

The difficulty with the idea is that such self testing or 'over-the-counter' kits as are available are not always reliable, while devices such as those used for Garda tests are quite expensive, being in the realm of €550 each, and are tested, selected and approved by the Medical Bureau of Road Safety.  Consequently, it was agreed that this was not a realistic option to pursue at present.